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Centrifugal pump
Centrifugal pumps are a sub-class of dynamic
axisymmetric work-absorbing turbomachinery.[1] Centrifugal
pumps are used to transport fluids by the conversion of
rotational kinetic energy to the hydrodynamic energy of the
fluid flow. The rotational energy typically comes from an
engine or electric motor. The fluid enters the pump impeller
along or near to the rotating axis and is accelerated by the
impeller, flowing radially outward into a diffuser or volute
chamber (casing), from where it exits.

Common uses include water, sewage, petroleum and

petrochemical pumping; a centrifugal fan is commonly used
to implement a vacuum cleaner. The reverse function of the Warman centrifugal pump in a coal preparation
plant application
centrifugal pump is a water turbine converting potential
energy of water pressure into mechanical rotational energy.

Contents
History
How it works
Description by Euler
Euler's pump equation
Velocity Triangle
Efficiency factor
Vertical centrifugal pumps
Froth pumps
Multistage centrifugal pumps
Energy usage
Problems of centrifugal pumps
Centrifugal pumps for solids control
Magnetically coupled pumps
Priming
Self priming centrifugal pump
See also
References
Sources
External links

History

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According to Reti, the first machine that could be characterized as a centrifugal pump was a mud lifting machine
which appeared as early as 1475 in a treatise by the Italian Renaissance engineer Francesco di Giorgio Martini.[2] True
centrifugal pumps were not developed until the late 17th century, when Denis Papin built one using straight vanes.
The curved vane was introduced by British inventor John Appold in 1851.

How it works
Like most pumps, a centrifugal pump converts rotational energy, often
from a motor, to energy in a moving fluid. A portion of the energy goes into
kinetic energy of the fluid. Fluid enters axially through eye of the casing, is
caught up in the impeller blades, and is whirled tangentially and radially
outward until it leaves through all circumferential parts of the impeller into
the diffuser part of the casing. The fluid gains both velocity and pressure
while passing through the impeller. The doughnut-shaped diffuser, or
scroll, section of the casing decelerates the flow and further increases the
pressure.

Description by Euler
Cutaway view of centrifugal pump
A consequence of Newton’s second law of mechanics is the conservation of
the angular momentum (or the “moment of momentum”) which is of
fundamental significance to all turbomachines. Accordingly, the change of the angular momentum is equal to the sum
of the external moments. Angular momentums ρ×Q×r×cu at inlet and outlet, an external torque M and friction
moments due to shear stresses Mτ are acting on an impeller or a diffuser.

Since no pressure forces are created on cylindrical surfaces in the circumferential direction, it is possible to write Eq.
(1.10) as:[3]

(1.13)

Euler's pump equation

Based on Eq.(1.13) Euler developed the head pressure equation created by the impeller see Fig.2.2

(1)

(2)

In Eq. (2) the sum of 4 front element number call static pressure,the sum of last 2 element number call velocity
pressure look carefully on the Fig 2.2 and the detail equation.

Ht theory head pressure ; g = between 9.78 and 9.82 m/s2 depending on latitude, conventional standard value of
exactly 9.80665 m/s2 barycentric gravitational acceleration

u2=r2.ω the peripheral circumferential velocity vector

u1=r1.ω the inlet circumferential velocity vector

ω=2π.n angular velocity

w1 inlet relative velocity vector

w2 outlet relative velocity vector

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c1 inlet absolute velocity vector

c2 outlet absolute velocity vector

Velocity Triangle
The color triangle formed by velocity vector u,c,w called "velocity triangle". this is an important role in old academic,
this rule was helpful to detail Eq.(1) become Eq.(2) and wide explained how the pump works.

Fig 2.3 (a) shows triangle velocity of forward curved vanes impeller ; Fig 2.3 (b) shows triangle velocity of radial
straight vanes impeller. It illustrates rather clearly energy added to the flow (shown in vector c) inversely change upon
flow rate Q (shown in vector cm).

Efficiency factor

where:

is the mechanics input power required (W)

is the fluid density (kg/m3)
is the standard acceleration of gravity (9.80665 m/s2)
is the energy Head added to the flow (m)
is the flow rate (m3/s)
is the efficiency of the pump plant as a decimal

The head added by the pump ( ) is a sum of the static lift, the head loss due to friction and any losses due to valves or
pipe bends all expressed in metres of fluid. Power is more commonly expressed as kilowatts (103 W, kW) or
horsepower (hp*0.746 = kW). The value for the pump efficiency, , may be stated for the pump itself or as a
combined efficiency of the pump and motor system.

Vertical centrifugal pumps

Vertical centrifugal pumps are also referred to as cantilever pumps. They utilize a unique shaft and bearing support
configuration that allows the volute to hang in the sump while the bearings are outside the sump. This style of pump
uses no stuffing box to seal the shaft but instead utilizes a "throttle bushing". A common application for this style of
pump is in a parts washer.

Froth pumps
In the mineral industry, or in the extraction of oilsand, froth is generated to separate the rich minerals or bitumen
from the sand and clays. Froth contains air that tends to block conventional pumps and cause loss of prime. Over
history, industry has developed different ways to deal with this problem. In the pulp and paper industry holes are
drilled in the impeller. Air escapes to the back of the impeller and a special expeller discharges the air back to the
suction tank. The impeller may also feature special small vanes between the primary vanes called split vanes or
secondary vanes. Some pumps may feature a large eye, an inducer or recirculation of pressurized froth from the pump
discharge back to the suction to break the bubbles.[4]

Multistage centrifugal pumps

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A centrifugal pump containing two or more impellers is called a multistage

centrifugal pump. The impellers may be mounted on the same shaft or on
different shafts. At each stage, the fluid is directed to the center before
making its way to the discharge on the outer diameter.

For higher pressures at the outlet, impellers can be connected in series. For
higher flow output, impellers can be connected in parallel.

A common application of the multistage centrifugal pump is the boiler

feedwater pump. For example, a 350 MW unit would require two Multistage centrifugal pump[5]
feedpumps in parallel. Each feedpump is a multistage centrifugal pump
producing 150 l/s at 21 MPa.

All energy transferred to the fluid is derived from the mechanical energy driving the impeller. This can be measured at
isentropic compression, resulting in a slight temperature increase (in addition to the pressure increase).

Energy usage
The energy usage in a pumping installation is determined by the flow required, the height lifted and the length and
friction characteristics of the pipeline. The power required to drive a pump ( ), is defined simply using SI units by:

where:

is the input power required (W)

is the fluid density (kg/m3)
is the standard acceleration of gravity (9.80665 m/s2)
is the energy Head added to the flow (m) Single-stage radial-flow centrifugal
is the flow rate (m3/s) pump
is the efficiency of the pump plant as a decimal

The head added by the pump ( ) is a sum of the static lift, the head loss due to friction and any losses due to valves or
pipe bends all expressed in metres of fluid. Power is more commonly expressed as kilowatts (103 W, kW) or
horsepower (hp = kW/0.746). The value for the pump efficiency, , may be stated for the pump itself or as a
combined efficiency of the pump and motor system.

The energy usage is determined by multiplying the power requirement by the length of time the pump is operating.

Problems of centrifugal pumps

These are some difficulties faced in centrifugal pumps:[6]

Cavitation—the net positive suction head (NPSH) of the system is too low for the selected pump
Wear of the impeller—can be worsened by suspended solids
Corrosion inside the pump caused by the fluid properties
Overheating due to low flow
Leakage along rotating shaft.
Lack of prime—centrifugal pumps must be filled (with the fluid to be pumped) in order to operate
Surge

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Centrifugal pumps for solids

control
An oilfield solids control system needs many centrifugal pumps to sit on or
in mud tanks. The types of centrifugal pumps used are sand pumps,
submersible slurry pumps, shear pumps, and charging pumps. They are
defined for their different functions, but their working principle is the
same.
Open Type Centrifugal Pump

Magnetically coupled pumps Impeller

Magnetically coupled pumps, or magnetic drive pumps, vary from the

traditional pumping style, as the motor is coupled to the pump by magnetic
means rather than by a direct mechanical shaft. The pump works via a
drive magnet, 'driving' the pump rotor, which is magnetically coupled to
the primary shaft driven by the motor.[7] They are often used where
leakage of the fluid pumped poses a great risk (e.g., aggressive fluid in the
chemical or nuclear industry, or electric shock - garden fountains). They
have no direct connection between the motor shaft and the impeller, so no Pie chart showing what causes
gland is needed. There is no risk of leakage, unless the casing is broken. damage to pumps.
Since the pump shaft is not supported by bearings outside the pump's
housing, support inside the pump is provided by bushings. The pump size
of a magnetic drive pumps can go from few Watts power to a giant 1MW.

Priming
Most centrifugal pumps are not self-priming. In other words, the pump casing must be filled with liquid before the
pump is started, or the pump will not be able to function. If the pump casing becomes filled with vapors or gases, the
pump impeller becomes gas-bound and incapable of pumping. To ensure that a centrifugal pump remains primed and
does not become gas-bound, most centrifugal pumps are located below the level of the source from which the pump is
to take its suction. The same effect can be gained by supplying liquid to the pump suction under pressure supplied by
another pump placed in the suction line.

Self priming centrifugal pump

In normal conditions, common centrifugal pumps are unable to evacuate the air from an inlet line leading to a fluid
level whose geodetic altitude is below that of the pump. Self-priming pumps have to be capable of evacuating air (see
Venting) from the pump suction line without any external auxiliary devices.

Centrifugal pumps with an internal suction stage such as water jet pumps or side channel pumps are also classified as
self-priming pumps.

Centrifugal pumps which are not designed with an internal or external self-priming stage can only start to pump the
fluid after the pump has initially been primed with the fluid. In addition, a suction-side swing check valve or a vent
valve must be fitted to prevent any siphon action and ensure that the fluid remains in the casing when the pump has
been stopped. In self-priming centrifugal pumps with a separation chamber the fluid pumped and the entrained air
bubbles are pumped into the separation chamber by the impeller action.

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The air escapes through the pump discharge nozzle whilst the fluid drops back down and is once more entrained by
the impeller. The suction line is thus continuously evacuated. The design required for such a self-priming feature has
an adverse effect on pump efficiency. Also, the dimensions of the separating chamber are relatively large. For these
reasons this solution is only adopted for small pumps, e.g. garden pumps. More frequently used types of self-priming
pumps are side channel and water ring pumps. Another type of self-priming pump is a centrifugal pump with two
casing chambers and an open impeller. This design is not only used for its self-priming capabilities but also for its
degassing effects when pumping twophase mixtures (air/gas and liquid) for a short time in process engineering or
when handling polluted fluids, for example when draining water from construction pits.

This pump type operates without a foot valve and without an evacuation device on the suction side. The pump has to
be primed with the fluid to be handled prior to commissioning. Two-phase mixture is pumped until the suction line
has been evacuated and the fluid level has been pushed into the front suction intake chamber by atmospheric pressure.
During normal pumping operation this pump works like an ordinary centrifugal pump.

See also
Axial flow pump
Net positive suction head (NPSH)
Pump
Seal (mechanical)
Specific speed (Ns or Nss)
Thermodynamic pump testing
Turbine
Turbopump

References
1. Shepard, Dennis G. (1956). Principles of Turbomachinery. McMillan. ISBN 0-471-85546-4. LCCN 56002849 (http
s://lccn.loc.gov/56002849).
2. Reti, Ladislao; Di Giorgio Martini, Francesco (Summer 1963). "Francesco di Giorgio (Armani) Martini's Treatise on
Engineering and Its Plagiarists". Technology and Culture. 4 (3): 287–298 (290). doi:10.2307/3100858 (https://doi.o
rg/10.2307%2F3100858).
3. Gülich, Johann Friedrich (2010). Centrifugal Pumps (2nd ed.). ISBN 978-3-642-12823-3.
4. Baha Abulnaga (2004). Pumping Oilsand Froth (http://turbolab.tamu.edu/proc/pumpproc/P21/01.pdf) (PDF). 21st
International Pump Users Symposium, Baltimore, Maryland. Published by Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
5. Moniz, Paresh Girdhar, Octo (2004). Practical centrifugal pumps design, operation and maintenance (https://book
s.google.com/books?id=3RjnmvQSFvcC&pg=PA13#v=onepage&q&f=false) (1. publ. ed.). Oxford: Newnes. p. 13.
ISBN 0750662735. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
6. Larry Bachus, Angle Custodio (2003). Know and understand centrifugal pumps. Elsevier Ltd. ISBN 1856174093.

Sources
ASME B73 Standards Committee, Chemical Standard Pumps (https://cstools.asme.org/csconnect/CommitteePag
es.cfm?Committee=C34000000)

External links
Minimum Thermal Flow in Centrifugal Pumps (http://chemicalengineeringsite.in/minimum-thermal-flow-centrifugal-
pumps/) - Chemical Engineering Site

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